Poll
/poʊl/noun
A survey or vote in which people's opinions or choices are counted.
Did you know?The political sense of poll comes from counting heads, and the same root also gave English the word for the top of the head, because a “poll” was once a shaved or bare scalp.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pel-
“to be flat or to peel/cut off”
Old English
OE
poll
“the head, especially the top or crown of the head”
Middle English
ME
poll
“the head; a person counted individually; a list of voters or a counting of votes”
14th–16th Century
English
poll
“to count heads; a voting or counting of people’s choices”
Modern English
English
poll
“a survey, vote, or count of opinions”